Field Trip Report
I made my way out to Sac High Wednesday night and oddly enough I ended up dressed in Grant's colors (note to self for next time, better wardrobe planning). Also lost on me this trip was the fact that it was senior night.
They only have one senior there this year, unlike last year where it seemed like half the team was a senior because the ceremony was LOOOOONG, and they lugged out a rocking chair for point guard Quanisha Turner to sit in while she was honored by her coach and teammates. Very nice touch and the "gifts" she received from her teammates required some explanation from coach McGee. Like last year where two of their players went on to division I schools, Turner, the crowd was told, is heading to IUPUI - I only know how to pronounce the acronym, I never remember what it stands for so I looked it up in case anybody out there cared lol, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Before I say anything else, I'll say these two things, we REALLY need a big contingent of Monarchs fans to go out to a game next season. I think coach would get a kick out of it and the support. Second thing, these young women appear to be in good hands - they lose an all american, only have one senior, one junior, and a bunch of sophomore or freshman and they haven't missed a beat. In a rousing finale to her salute to her point guard - McGee tells the crowd that the program's goal is to get all these young women into a college program.
I don't sense that's going to be a tough goal to reach. Turner finished with a double double 14pts/13asts but the night belonged to a sophomore Kyra Dunn who did her one better by triple doubling with an insane 15pts/12reb/16blks. Not that I tracked that mind you, I was saying to the person I was sitting with that, between Dunn and (Erica) Barnes in the paint, they had to have gotten their team average 9 blocks by the end of the first quarter! I'm not sure my facetiousness was that far off.
For instance...Here was how their first quarter run started....
Block by Dunn, fast break outlet pass, layup on the other end.....Grant ball...Block by Dunn, fast break outlet pass, layup on the other end...Time out Grant....inbounds...Grant missed shot(affected by Dunn)...3pointer on the other end by Sac High. Had the makings for a whole lotta ugliness for the visitors sounds like huh? If not for the fact that Grant runs like the wind too and can play some defense when it wanted to, it would have been. But they hung around for a while getting to within 7 at the half and once again in the 4th.
Dunn fouled out late in the fourth and as she came off the floor, McGee had her kids on the bench get up and give Dunn a standing O as she went to the bench. The PA announcer mentioned the triple double shortly after that.
At times the two teams played on offense like a runaway train, on a downhill grade with no brakes and some giant giving it a huge push to get it building up some momentum, it was THAT sorta organized mayhem until it looked like at a point in the second half the the two teams had tuckered each other out chasing themselves up and down the floor and alla sudden half court offense broke out. THAT was weird
(well, that WAS weird, but I'm not sure I'd seen this before but perhaps even weirder was the two teams "exchanging" over and back violations on consecutive possessions, so that may actually be weirder than these two teams slowing down to a half court game out of the blue) Just when Grant looked like it was going to make a run to steal the game (and goodness knows they had their chances in the 2nd half) they just couldn't get shots to fall or not get swatted the hell away by Barnes or Dunn (and crap, even the guards were sending balls back).
I was watching coach McGee and she has a fire to her which was amusing. There were brief moments where her mannerisms and facial expressions were very DeMya like. That was fun to watch. She was trying to "discuss" a HORRIBLE non-call with a ref, McGee towered over the guy anyway, the heels she had on didn't help matters. She had a straight shot into his ear and was trying to further make her point by grabbing the guy's shoulder (in a nice way if that can be done lol) and the manuever he made to get her to take her hand off him before he had to T her up was PRICELESS.
It looked like Dunn is one of her projects since she lit into her a few times in the huddles. My seatmate made the observation that she is all kinds of crazy athletic...so they may very well have another one heading to a major...(if they can put about 40 pounds on her and find her a uni that fits - she looks the same as she did last year lol...like she had a Baugh hand-me-down uniform on and was 10 years younger than Baugh).
The playoffs are starting soon - they've concluded a 22-1 regular season by going undefeated in their conference. Can't see anybody standing in their way (but to use a cliche'...themselves, that offense is still CRAZYMAKING to me-their games are closer this year IMO because Baugh isn't there to clean up the messes when their offense goes sideways or catch the crazy passes) before they reach ARCO to defend their section title. They appear to be on a collision course with the Saint Mary's team they seem to meet every year.
But seriously, we need to bring a big group out there for a game next season for sure.
